Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Camera Bags, Blessing Bags, and Windbags plus Q&A Weds #1: Adventure


This is one of the "misc" category posts . Lots of little things to say or ask. Here goes.

1. I need a new camera bag. The one I have now has a broken latch on the front, meaning I have to carry the bag like a football under my arm for real security. I would like recommendations on a bag that will hold a Nikon D50 (an SLR) body plus 3 lenses of average length, a charger, a point 'n shoot, memory cards, and anything else a hobbyist will undoubtedly grow into. Also, does anyone recommend a backpack type camera bag, a shoulder strap kind, or one with both options. Why?

2. I'm waiting for a contact person in San Diego that Bethany is putting me in touch with. I'm wondering who, among you, want to send relief aid if this contact comes back and says, "Yes, please help!" And are you inclined to buy items yourself if I make a list of suggested things, or prefer to give me shopping and shipping money (PayPal, check, cash, anything but your firstborn)? (Note: the picture here of Amanda Joy with Katrina Kits in 2005, was taken on my old cheapy digital. I can't believe I used such a piece of junk, but it was better than nothing and I didn't know how good "good" can be with a great camera. My apologies to Amanda for the poor quality, but she is photogenic even with the worst of cameras, is she not?)


3 I'm gonna start a "Q&A Wednesday" series. When I have guests over who don't know each other well, or who could dominate the conversation at the table (read: windbag, which can be me), or tend clam up, or stay completely superficial for an hour, I try to have prepared a bowl of questions sitting near the center and tell everyone at the start, "Some time during the meal, I'm gonna ask one of you to pass the pepper, the butter, the rolls, et cetera. I'm also gonna ask someone to pass the questions. The one I ask will pick one, read it silently and decide if you want to answer." (At this point the nontalkers give you the mortified Judas-Iscariot-at-the-Last-Supper expression. Then, after I stop giggling at this predictable reaction, I say, "If you don't like that one, pick a new one." (Non-talkers exhale at the relief of getting to choose.) I try to mix it up, some light and funny, some about memories, some about dreams of the future, some that will honor one or more people specially (usually the person across the table, I say on the question paper).

So, let's get to know each other better ,shall we?

Today's question: What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done? Feel free to expound on it. (Was it scary? painful?fun? wise?stupid?)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Zo, I really can't think of any adventures I have even been in!!
But I do remember when I left Little Rock for Wisconsin. In was in February, not a warm month up here, and Dean had a coupe and we had our baby girl.
By the time we got to Davenport, Iowa, we were in a blizzard and the roads were closing behind us, so we were stuck there for several days in a hotel, and as quick as we got out of there we got as far as Dubuque, Iowa, and the roads closed again. We were there a week.
I was never so nervous in all my life!!! And I don't want to ever experience that again!! Even though I am still in Wisconsin.
Betty G

Leanne said...

Maybe it's just because it's 1 am and my sore throat is making sleep a wish at best, but I never really realized how unadventurous I am! Every "adventurous" memory I can come up with is because someone forced me to do it. Status quo, please! (always have had a great time though!)

Closest thing I can come up with at the moment was when my family and I hiked across a glacier area on a mountain to get to the area where we could pan for gold (Washington state). We had to cross a fast flowing, fairly deep river using rocks after walking several miles and realizing there was no other option but to do it. We were somehow successful, only to walk another quarter mile around a bend and see the bridge.

Oh well, good family memory.

Anonymous said...

Zo, I'd give you money towards supplies for the kits if your contact says they're needed. I'm limited in my "running out" time right now.

Hmm, most adventurous thing I've ever done? Probably get married. I'm serious. This was very "adventurous" for me because emotionally I was very closed off to the idea for so long, as I've shared before on my blog in the story about how we met/got married.

Otherwise, I've gone rock repelling, which was really fun. The scariest part was walking over the edge and trusting the rope. After that it was a piece of cake. I don't know how adventurous it really was, but that's all I can think of.

I'd LIKE to go sky diving. I really want to do that but it scares me too. I'll have to do it before I die. One of Josh's cool aunts did it a few years ago and she's about 60 years old. I want to be like her!

Amy said...

I'll be watching with interest to see if you get any good camera bag recommendations--Steve's getting me one for Christmas. The ones I'm looking at are a lot smaller, as I only have two lenses and probably wouldn't care my PNS with me. But both brands I'm looking at have bigger sizes. Quite a while back, Bethany raved about Crumpler's million dollar bags--scroll to the right, here. I'm also looking at these Tamrac bags.

I mentioned something to Steve about the bags for CA--we may be sending something soon.

As for adventurousness, I'll think on that and get back to you. I love your questions bowl idea!

Anonymous said...

Adventurous...I went hiking in the Adirondack Mountains for a week when I was 14 years old. Umm, pretty adventurous considering we didn't have any formal "training" on hiking and our guide was the Pastor of the church and our school Principal. He guided 9 girls and 1 boy into the mountains. No cell phones at that time either. It was scary. Why did our parents let us go, I wonder?!!! As you can tell, I'm a wimp and I'm dramatic, so anything out of the norm is adventurous to me! Just climbing the Rock Wall at the YMCA was a huge step for me. Seriously. I'm deathly afraid of heights. And working hard.

Bethany said...

Love crumpler bags. I have had a Lowe Pro backpack....it is hard to work out of that is my complaint with backpack camera bags and they are really stiff and uncomfortable. I like to be able to flip my bag open and work out of it as I am shooting so I love messenger style bags.

Hmmmm adventure. I too have gone rock climbing and repelling and swam in shark infested waters in Nicaragua. Been at the mall when someone opened fire in the food court....believe it or not that wasn't here in CA but in VA...never knew a mall could be an adventure.